If everyone ate their vegetables, we'd increase world productivity by 20%! Find out how

Everyone can recall being told by their mother to eat their vegetables. Reasons usually supplied to inquiring young minds were that one needed all the vitamins contained in the veggies to ensure proper growth of brain and body.

It turns out that not only should the children be eating their vegetables, but so should pretty much everyone. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate that 2 billion people, or over 30% of the worlds population, are currently suffering from iron deficiency. And this situation is not only restricted to under-developed countries, but industrialised nations as well. The primary cause for iron deficiency is an incomplete diet and it is the most common health condition in the world today.

The reason most people don't realise they are deficient is due to the subtle effects of the condition. Health problems that seems to be unrelated can now be traced to a lack of iron in the body, while tiredness, slowness at school and difficulty concentrating can often be traced back to the condition as well.

The WHO estimate that, should the iron deficiency problem be successfully tackled, the resultant reduction in adult health issues could yield as much as a 20% increase in country specific productivity.

That's quite a decent return for making sure your dinner plate is left clean.

(Source)